Case Study: National Park Service achieves precise 3D preservation of Kennecott Mines with Trimble scanning solutions

Trimble solutions help the National Park Service preserve an Alaskan treasure

Trimble partnered with the U.S. National Park Service to preserve the historic Kennecott Mines in remote Wrangell–St. Elias, Alaska. The site’s 14‑story wooden mill and dozens of decaying structures required far more detailed, georeferenced documentation than earlier surveys could provide to plan stabilization and rehabilitation safely and accurately.

Using a Trimble SX10 scanning total station, TX8 3D scanner, GNSS receivers and Trimble Business Center software, the team captured more than 70 GB of georeferenced scan data from over 20 setups, including inaccessible features and long‑range glacier views. The consolidated dataset—delivered after a three‑day field effort—enabled precise repair plans, safer field measurements, rapid processing and new interpretive uses like virtual walkthroughs and glacier-change studies.

National Park Service

Joel Cusick

National Park Service